By: Barbara Kumah
A private citizen, Alfred Ababio Kumi, has petitioned President John Dramani Mahama to dissolve the five-member committee probing three petitions against the Chief Justice , Justice Gertrude Araba Sackey Torkornoo.
Mr Ababio Kumi, gives his reason for the petition to be that two members of the committee, Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang (Chairman of the Committee), Justice Samuel Adibu-Asiedu (member of the committee) in the company of another Supreme Court judge, Justice Yonni Kulendi, were allegedly were seen in a dining together Thaddeus Sory, a lawyer representing one of the three petitioners.
Petitioner’s Case
According the petition submitted to the President on May 19 2025, the petitioner, Alfred Ababio Kumi, alleges that on the evening, after the first sitting of the five-member committee probing the matters in the three petitions against the Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, that is Thursday, 15 May 2025, between the hours of 7:30 and 8:30 pm, Chairman of the Committee, Justices Gabriel Pwamang and Justice Samuel Adibu-Asiedu member of the committee, together with Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Yonni Kulendi were spotted having dinner together with Thaddeus Sory, a lawyer representing one of the petitioners before the committee, at the Santoku Restaurant, located at Villagio, Airport Residential Area, Accra.
The petitioner notes that, ”the strange meeting of the four persons who are keenly interested in and have played, and indeed continue to play, critical roles initiated in the processes for the removal of the Chief Justice, excited the curiosity of some persons in the restaurant, and were overheard discussing matters relating to the petition.
According to the petition, the presence of the four personalities, at the restaurant and meeting can be verified and confirmed from the restaurant’s records.
The petition continues that the development is of grave worry as proceedings for the removal of the Chief Justice is a solemn process and should not lend itself to manipulation by any person or authority.
According to the petitioner, Alfred Ababio Kumi, the meeting between the judges and the lawyer, has destroyed the integrity of the process and reduced public confidence in the process so far.
The petition further says that, both Justices Asiedu and Pwamang are panel members of the Committee inquiring into the petitions and therefore have no business meeting with any of the lawyers of the petitioners outside working hours at an unofficial place to have a discussions.
The petitioner, added that this is more serious, when the record shows that Justice Pwamang, gave judgments in favour of the same petitioner, Daniel Ofori, represented by the same counsel, Thaddeus Sory, in the Supreme Court.
According to him, their conduct is deplorable and the most unbecoming of justices occupying the highest court in Ghana, and concluded that , it has the tendency of making the entire process, a sham and that, in the interest of preserving the integrity of the process, President John Dramani Mahama must immediately dissolve the committee, as its ability to dispense justice is clearly compromised.
Background
The Chief Justice of the Republic, Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, was suspended from office by the President of the Republic, John Dramani Mahama, on Tuesday April 22, through a statement issued by the Minister for government communication, Felix Kwakye Ofosu.
The president’s actions, which are said to be grounded in Article 146 (10) of the 1992 constitution, were primarily inspired by three petitions that the president received seeking the removal of the Chief Justice from office. A group calling itself Shining Stars of Ghana submitted the first petition to the president on February 14 2025. Kingsley Agyei, who describes himself as the chairman and convenor of the Shining Stars of Ghana, signed the petition.
The second petition, presented to the president by Daniel Ofori, is dated Monday, March 17, 2025.
The petitioner essentially states 21 allegations of misbehaviour and four allegations of incompetence, all of which relate to the Chief Justice’s discharge of her administrative roles and functions as head of the judiciary.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ayamga Yakubu Akolgo (Esq), a senior police officer in the Ghana Police Service stationed at the National Police Headquarters in Accra, is the third and final petitioner to submit a petition to the president for the removal of the Chief Justice from office.
Akolgo’s submission was also made on February 14 2025.
One Response
A letter from Dr Edward Kwame Poku a Consultant Physician specialist residing and working in Germany. .I am a founding member of NDC and was a close associate of the late president J.J. Rawlings.1am suggesting to the commission to demand to ascertain the true nature of the reason for his absence and why he has been prevented from attending such an important meeting in the interest of mother GHANA,LAWYER Barker -Vormavor must be forced as an important person to answer those questions he might be asked personally to answer. In Addition to the request for Lawyer Barker- Vormavor to answer 1 want President Mahama to be asked whether as a VICE President he traveled to Lybia and Bokinafaso using the PRESIDENTIAL JET and as a Passenger a ghanain Footballer one Mr ABEDI_PELE as his PASSENGER.. IS This eEhaviour of the then VICE-PRESIDENT Impeachable OFFENCE. PLease investigate ask the ABEDI- PELE